Block for car wheels



Aug. 19 1924.

T. H. EDELBLUTE BLQCK FOR CAR WHEELS Filed June 6. 19375 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iii was:

INVENTOR 7 Aug. 19 1924'. 1,505,591

T. H. EDELBLUTE BLOCK FOR CAR WHEEL S Filed June 6, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Aug. 19, 1924.

T. H. EDELBLUTE BLOCK FOR cm WHEELS 4 SheetQ-Sheet 5 Filed June 6, 1923 T. H. EDEL'BLUTE BLOCK FOR cm WHEELS Filed June 6. 1923 4 Sheets-sheaf INVENTOR Cal Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED s r 'r THOMAS H. nnntrturn, or 'rrrrsisunen, rnuusvtvania.

' stock Eon can WHEELS.

Application filed June 6,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs H. EDnL- more, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blocks for CarWheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for an automatic rail block for car wheels, and is designed particularly for use in mines. v

In mining operations, especially coal mining, the workings or rooms leading off from the main headings are, wherever possible, inclined upwardly toward theworking face of the room. This is' for the purpose of securing drainage from the working faceband for enabling full cars to gravitate toward the heading, while only theempty cars need be pushed to the working face. Such inclination of the room floor necessitates that the car is loaded on an incline. The rules of most mines require that a tie or other block be placed under the wheels in addition to the brakes on the car beingset. 1

however, as the labor employed in mines becomes careless as to risks and hazards,

and as their aim is centered on getting the 7 cars out as fast as possible, this precaution is disregarded, except perhapswhen the mine foreman makes his appearance, accidents, many of them serious, result from an empty or partially loaded car breaking away from the working face.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide 'an automatic'blockofa portable nature, which may be advanced with advance of the working face of the room and which enables a car going to the rise to pass by it, but which will move back into rail obstructing position when the car has passed and prevent the car from going in the opposite direction until manually operated. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which may be readily applied to and removed from arai'l, so as to increase its usefulness in temporary positions. v

By reason of the portable nature of the device, it is particularly' suited for'use in rooms and in othertemporarypositions, and as the advance made'in a room each day is but a few feet, the mine foreman can see to it that the device is advanced with the progress of the room. The use of the deviceis TFig." 14: is a side view of 1923. serial No. 643,782.

not confined,*however, to the use adjacent the working. faces of the various rooms, but

the invention may be installed any place in the mine where a device of this nature is required, it beingparticularly adapted for temporary installation.

A further object is to provide a combination wheel block and dera'iler.

The present invention also proposes to provide a device of this character which may be cheaply made,has a minimum 1111111 ber of. parts, and is well adapted'to withstand hard usage, and designed to engage different sized rails turned-in different positions. v

These and other objects and advantages Fig. 3is a section in the plane of line I a similar view of another modication inwhich the block is designed to function also as a derailer,

Fig. l0 is a section in the plane of line X,X-'ofFig.9; L '-.Fig. ll'is an end view of the structure shown inFigsyS) and 10 from the uphill side;

Fig. '12 is a plan view of, still another modification, showing the block member swinging about a horizontal pivot,instead of a 'veraear one, as in the preceding figures;

'Figg' 13 is anend view from the downhill side of the structure shown in Fig. 12; p

v i s a similarbut slightly modified fde'vice, i v 1 Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4: inclusive of the' drawings, '5 designates a base having a hook'portion .6 .onjfits inner end and a verti A pin passing through the hook portion I 11 serves as a pivot for a cam block 12 having an eccentrically curved inner end 13 for engagement with the inner face of the rail web. The cam plate may be perforated at 13 to receive, a locking pin, notv shown.

The curvature of, the plate is such that it is driven in'an uphill direction into clamping position, so that the; strain, which is in a downhill direction, always urges the cam into; tighter clamping engagement with the rail,

Extending: across the base at a point immediatelyoutward fromL the, abutment 8, is an inclined surface 14,,most clearly shown in Fig. 4, which is lowest on the downhill sideof the plate.

Pivotally carried on stud 7 is an arm 15 carrying wheel'engaging block 16' at its outer end, preferably being formed integrally therewith. This block extends over the top.

as indicated at 19, to conform substantially to the curvature of a car wheel.

Extendingoutwardly from each side of the plate, is an arm 20. Each arm 20 has an outer terminal portion 21 which supports opposite ends of an, arcuatel-y curved rod 22 that passes through an opening 23 in the pivoting block carrying-arm. Surrounding the lower side of the arm is a compression spring 24, and surrounding the rod on its uphill side is a similar spring 25, the springs being balanced so as to urge the pivoted arm to the central position, as shown.

Formed in the uphill side of the arm is a pocket 27, best shown in Fig. 4, having a spring 28 therein that urges latch 29 clownwardly, the latch being carried at the end of a rod 30 projecting through the top of the pocket and: terminating in an eye 31. The latch has a beveled surface at 3,2. The latch normally engages against the uphill edgeof the plate 5, and prevents; the pivoted arm 15- from: swinging in a downhill direction; although not interfering with the swinging of the arm. in an uphi'lldirection. I

In: operation, the device is clamped to: the rail as close to: the working face: as convenient. As the cars are; pushed toward the, working face, the wheels engage the curved surface 17 of block16f, tending-to swing; the; arm 15in anv uphill direction, so that thecar canpass. by; As soonasthe carhas been pushed: past the denies; spring 25;, which is,

compressed when the arm is swung in an upspring 24 restores the block to position, the

latch. on the return movement ofthe arm riding up the inclined surface 14, until; itsnaps over the uphill edge of the plate.

In Fig. 51,, similar referencecharacters have been used to; designate those parts of the device which correspond to the form. shown in- Fi'g. 1, In thev modification shown in Fig. 5, the; swinging arm; 15 carries an arcuately curved rod slidably supported;

on, a concentric support 36 and secured to the arm at both ends. The rod moves with the arms, and serves: to support springs 37 and 3-8,,corresponding to springs 24 and 25 of the construction in Fig. l.

In: the modification shown. in Fig. 5, I have shown; a wedge 39-forholding the rail in place instead of the, pivoted cam plate 12;. The construction shown in Fig. 6 is gener ally: similar to that hereinbefore described, and similar reference numerals designate the corresponding parts; In this construction, however, the under side of the ar1n15 is recessed, as indicated by the dotted lines. A spring 4G in this recess has one end secured to; the abutment 8 at 41', and its other end secured to the arm 15 at 42. hen the arm is turned in either direction from the central position, the spring is put under tension to urge thearm back to the normal position.

The latch construction as shown in this modification has also been slightly changed. Thelatch as shown in Fig. 6 comprises an arm 43 pivotally supported at one end by pin 44 and ears 45 on the top of the arm.

The other end of the arm has a latclrmember 46 which'projects through an opening 4 in: the, arm- 15. Its principle of operation is similarto; thelatch describedin connec: tion with Fig. 1, but the weight of the; latch is utilized in place of; a spring to urge it into, latching position. Thelatch may be released: by the insertion of" a pick; orother instrument into-notches 48 and-49 At the working face of the mine-'it-is a. m nrrp-r ice o" tur he ra s 0mpri he end section 5- r ck si ew ys or c0mnle e yinvert-the r il. s0v hat it m y-{h s1. ably l i against; he a t ect n. of worlrw1serail and the-cars run off tromthe wheel rides on the web of the rail.

lVhere the slide rail :is inverted, the tread of the wheel rides on the. base Grumman;

to engage a slide rail turnedsideways. The.

base has a channeled end portion 51fto receive a wedge plate 52 i'vhich hasa lip 53 for engaging the base of the rail The abutment 5e has a shoulder 55 .to receive the head of the rail, part 56 preferably overhanging the head. The automatic block is not shown, but maybe arrangedin any of the ways herein described.

Fig- 8 shows a baseplate 57 arranged for use where slide railsare inverted. ,The abutment 58 is undercut at,59 to receive one side of'the rail'head, and awedge '60 cut,

away at 61 driven between the rail and the vertical end portion 6210f the plate holds the rail in position. I

In Figs. 9 to '11, Ihave show n the automatic block in combination with the; derailer of the type shown in my-co-pending application Serial No. 643,781, filed June 6,1923. 1 Mounted at the end of pivoting ar mfl5 is the block 65 beveled at 66 in order that it may be readily pushed aside by a car going in an uphilldirection.@that is, in the direction of the arrow in Fig.0. The up-. hill side of the block is rounded at 67,; Formed on the inside face of the block and set back from the rounded portion 67 is a flanged channel 68, which channel, crosses the block. It is so positioned that it will receive the flange of a car wheelifflsiich wheel starts to climb the convex surface 67.

A device of the kind is particularly useful on inclined tracks some distance back from the Working face, as well as closeto the workingface. If a car is coming down the track sufficiently fast that the block will not stop it, that car should be derailed. If the car comes against the block from/the uphill side at a reasonable speed, the block 65 will stop and hold it. .Ifhho-wevergthe car has such momentum that it climbs the uphill surface of the block, the flanges of the wheels will follow channel 67 and the car will be directed and derailed to one side of the track.

While I have not shown the various spring mechanisms in such detail in Figs. 9 to 11, it will be obvious that I may use springs for operating the arm 15, arranged as described in connection with Fig. 1 or the other figures.

In the modifications shown in Figs. 12 to 14 inclusive, the guard or block swings about a horizontal axis instead of a vertical one.

Referring to the construction shown in Figs. 12 and 13, 7O designates a horizontally bowed base plate having straight portions 71 which provide a seat for the rail',

designated Thefends of the plate termina-te inrail engagingabutments 73. 'each abutment having a, hole 74 therein to receive v a shaft 75. 'Pivoted to' the bowed portion of the plate at 71 is a rail clamp-v ing cam 76 having an eccentrically curved surface.

Pivotallycarried on shaft (5 is a block or horn having a hub 77 and] a wheel en-- gaging part 7 8. Part 78 is curved so that the downhillside thereof does not extend over the rail, w'hile the uphill side 79 lies over the rail when the hornvis in a vertical position. This jshape. of the horn enables the wheel of a car being pusheduphill to engage the curved inner surface ofthe horn and swing the horn outwardly and, downwardly. When the wheel of a car comingdown hillhits the edge '79 of the plate, the wheel is blocked. I

For yieldably holding the horn or block 78 in a vertical wheel engaging position, I preferably'emplo'y a compression spring 80. having one end embracing astud 82 on the'block 78, and the other end surround i-ng'astud 83 on the base plate.

Surrounding shaft-75isa coil spring 8 1 that acts as 'a cushion to'iyieldably urge the hub of the block in an uphill direction. l/Vhen the wheel. 'ofa, downcoming car strikes the horn, the horn may move longitudinally ofthe railv against the resistance ofspring 84. and thereby absorb the shock of thegimpactg. 1 y y In Fig. 014,, I have. shown a. construction very similar to that shown in Figs. 12 and 13, and corresponding reference numerals have been used to designate those parts which are similar. I SpringBO is eliminated, howeve gtand inplace of spring 84 is a coilspring 85 having oneendengaging the horn and having the other end fixed to apart of theface. This one spring serves both to'restore the horn to vertical position and'to, providea cushion. I -A projection '86 may be formed on the base plate, of the various structures to grip into the ground and assist in holding the device against motion in a downhill direction.

While several different forms have been illustrated, it will be seen that they are all relatively small lightself-contained structures, suitable for temporary installation and readily portable from one place toan- 1 the rail, a wheel engaging member carried 1 on the said plate and movable into and out of wheel engaging position, and means co acting between the base and the movable member for yieldably urging the wheel engaging member into wheel engagingposition.

2. A wheelblocking device comprising a base plate, means on the base plate for securing it to the rail, a Wheel engaging member carried on the plate'and movable into and out of wheel engaging positions, and means carried by the plate connecting with the wheel engaging member, for yieldably urging the wheel engaging member into wheel engaging position.

3. A wheel blocking device comprising a base plate, means on the base plate for attachingit to a rail, a Wheel engagingmember carried on the base plate having two wheel engagingsurfaces, said wheel engaging member being supported for movement into and out of wheel engaging position, one Wheel engaging surface being shaped to provide a wheel obstructing block, the other surface being shaped to cooperate witha wheel to enable a wheel to force the said member out of wheel engaging position, and means for yieldably urging said member towheel engaging position.

' 4. A wheel blocking device comprising a base, means on thebase for releasably clamping a rail, a wheel engaging member pivotally supported on the base and movable u into and out of blocking position, said member having a blocking face on one side, a cam surface for cooperation with a car wheel on the other side, and means carried on the base for urging the wheel engaging member into wheel engaging position.

5. A portable wheel blocking device in the form of a unitary structure comprising a base, means carried by the base for removably clamping it to a rail, a wheel engaging member movable into and out of wheel engaging position carried on the base and arranged to block wheels of cars coming in one direction and to be forced out of wheel engaging position by cars moving in the supporting member,

ber 'movably carried thereby and movable in two directions from a normal position,

means for yieldablyurging the wheel engaging member to the normal position, and I,

a manually releasable self-closing latch for preventing movement of said wheel engaging member in one direction and out of normal position, I p

7,, A wheel blocking device comprising a an arm pivota'lly mounted thereon, a wheel engaging block on the arm, means for urgingthe block to a wheel engagingposition, said arm and block being movable'in an uphill or a down:

hill direction out of wheel-engaging posi tion, and a latch for holding the arm against movement in a downhill direction.

8; wheel block-ing'device for use with vehicle rails comprising a base, a wheel engaging member mounted on the base movable into and out of wheel engaging position, means for urging the wheel engaging member to wheel engaging position, one

side of thetwheel engaging member being adapted to be forced out of wheelengaging position by movement ofa wheel thereagainst, the other si'de'of said member being shaped to form a wheel block, and a derailing guifde associated with said wheel engaging means for engaging any car wheels which ride up on the block portion thereof.

9. A wheel block comprising a portable base, rail engaging and clamping means on the ba se,and a wheel engaging and block" ing member carried on the base movableout of wheel obstructing position by the passage ofa wheelin one direction and blocking a wheel moving in'the opposite direction, and means for yieldably maintaining the wheel engaging means in wheel engaging position.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signa- 

